The All Blacks will chase a 54th Test without defeat at Eden Park tonight, opening the Bledisloe Cup series against the Wallabies without injured pair Richie Mo'unga and Fehi Fineanganofo.
It's the first of two Tests between the trans-Tasman rivals, with kick-off at Eden Park at 7.10pm. The All Blacks have been unbeaten at the ground since 1994, while Australia's last win there came in 1986.
But the All Blacks are coming off a 3-1 series defeat to the Springboks, while the Wallabies beat the Boks 42-38 in Perth last month.
Mo'unga was named to start at first-five on Monday, before tearing his calf at training on Tuesday. He will also miss next week's second Test. Fineanganofo is out with a concussion and a hamstring strain suffered in Bay of Plenty's NPC match against North Harbour.
Head coach Dave Rennie has called his matchday 23 the hardest side the team has had to pick, saying it took three selection meetings with his coaching staff.
"There were a lot of tough decisions, and the guys who missed out are very close. I guess that's a positive that we're building a bit of depth," Rennie said at a press conference in Auckland on Friday.
Rennie said the team had talked openly about the Eden Park record.
"They'll be highly motivated to break the record. We talk about it - you have to acknowledge it. No one wants to be the first team to lose it."
"If we don't discuss it, then some guys will be mulling over it on game day, so we've talked about it and used it as fuel."
McKenzie gets nod at first-five
Damian McKenzie starts at 10 in Mo'unga's absence, with Beauden Barrett at fullback. Rennie said the pair's positions could have been swapped, with both set to play playmaker roles and expected to share time at first-five during the Test.
"Damian has trained there (10) a lot, whereas Beauden has trained at fullback for us. He also played at 15 against the Lions and the Bulls," Rennie said.
"They're interchangeable and spend a lot of time in the back field, and having a fullback who is a playmaker suits us."
Two returning All Blacks make the matchday 23. Scott Barrett starts at lock alongside Josh Lord, with the impressive Fabian Holland missing out, while Shannon Frizell is on the bench. Rennie said Frizell was still getting up to speed conditioning-wise.
"It's probably better to bring him off the bench, with Barrett starting, rather than having a couple of guys that haven't played much footy this year," Rennie said.
Codie Taylor captains the side from hooker.
City Rail Link ready for Bledisloe crowds
Auckland Transport said the newly-opened City Rail Link will make the trip to the sold-out Bledisloe Cup Test faster than ever, with free bus and train travel from 3pm included with a match ticket.
AT Operation Centre event planning lead Todd Hurley said more trains would run directly from the city centre than ever before, along with direct journeys from the east to Kingsland Station, across the road from Eden Park.
“We’re pulling out all the stops, with extra buses and trains at the busiest points, increased train capacity with six-car trains, additional trains from the west and between Waitematā Station and Kingsland,” Hurley said in a statement.
Special event buses will run about every 10 minutes from 4pm from Albany Bus Station on the North Shore, 120 Quay St in the city centre, and Botany via Pakuranga. Fans travelling from the south are advised to change trains at Ōtāhuhu or one of the city stations.
Two stations will be used to clear the crowds: Trains to the west will leave from Morningside, while trains to the east, south and city centre will leave from Kingsland.
Hurley said commuters should expect queues and large crowds as 50,000 people leave the stadium at once.
"Fans can avoid the busiest queues by checking train and express bus wait times, allowing extra time, or enjoying some local hospitality before leaving."
People not going to the game but needing to travel between east and west Auckland late on Saturday night can use replacement buses between Morningside and Kingsland stations, or regular bus services.
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